Guidelines for the Smith Scheduling System

Purpose: Outline the responsibilities and rules for requesting rooms and events for the Smith School of Business

Scope: Cover process for requesting all classrooms, conference rooms, computer rooms, labs, and open areas within Van Munching Hall that are under the purview of the Smith School of Business using Virtual EMS. It will also cover requesting events being hosted by the Smith School of Business that occur at any or all of the Smith school locations as well as off-site venues.

Responsibilities

a) Academic Scheduling – Academic scheduling shall be responsible for reserving rooms for all academic courses including exam schedules and review sessions when known before the start of the current semester. Academic scheduling will also coordinate room availability for club (SUSA) and for OCS employers.

b) Office of Smith Programs and Events – The Office of Smith Programs and Events will reserve spaces for events as requested by the various departments and for all items that will be placed on the Events Calendar.

c) Smith Operations – Smith Operations will be responsible for reviewing and confirming all rooms for other requested needs such as department meetings and other activities arising during the school year. They will also be responsible for scheduling all student activities not covered under (a) or (b) above. The Director of Operations or the Assistant Manager will coordinate reservations for organizations outside of the Smith School.

Policies and Procedures

Section I: Academic Scheduling

Academic scheduling for rooms will take priority over events and additional scheduling needs. Generally, academic scheduling shall have priority during any semester for room reservations for academic events. Exceptions may be made for external events that need to be scheduled significantly in advance. Once all academic requirements have been completed academic scheduling will notify OSPE that they may schedule requested events.

The academic calendar must be solidified prior to Virtual EMS opening up for event requests and scheduling opportunities. The academic schedule is given room confirmations on a semester basis. Fall academics can be expected to be imported into EMS by June 1, and Spring academics can be expected to be put into EMS by November 15. The online scheduling request page is not be used for academic needs or needs related to an academic class. Please contact scheduling@rhsmith.umd.edu regarding academic classes and related needs. No online requests are to be used for academic scheduling needs.

Section II: Online Scheduling Request page

A user will be directed to the following site to schedule a room for a non-academic or non-class related need or to request an event: apps.rhsmith.umd.edu/event.

All requests for scheduling needs will begin at this landing page. This page is internal to Smith users and requires a CAS login.

The landing page prompts the user using a series of questions to help decipher whether the need is a rooming request or is an event request.

Section III: Virtual EMS

All faculty, staff, and key student leaders have been given accounts under the Virtual EMS platform. Users will be directed to VEMS from the online scheduling request page under the following circumstances:

User request is needed within 7 days

User answers “no” to all landing page questions that decipher between a rooming need and an event need.

The user will select space from the availability within the VEMS platform and request the room. All reservations requiring set-up time should list the actual reservation time and the separate set-up and take down durations.

Smith Operations will respond to the requestor with the confirmed room(s) assigned to them and any restrictions on the use.

VEMS will be open for use to reserve available spaces for the current semester. VEMS will not be open for future semesters, given the need for academic scheduling and planning. VEMS will open for the following semester on December 15 (for spring semesters) and June 30 (for fall semesters).

Section IV: Event Request page Users will be directed to the event request form from the online scheduling request page under the following circumstances:

User answers “yes and/or “maybe to one or more of the landing page questions that decipher between a space need and an event need.

The user will complete the information on the request form prior to submitting the request to OSPE. The user has the option to save the request as a draft to come back to at a later date, but the request will not be received unless the “Submit” button is selected.

OSPE will reserve spaces and manage the approval process for all submitted event requests.

The user will receive emails at the following stages of the event request:

If the user opts to save as a draft, a draft notification message will be sent

Once the user submits the request, a submission notification will be sent

Once the request is approved, an approval notification will be sent

Upon approval, a room confirmation notification will be sent informing the user of their space.

Section V: Review of Requests

Virtual EMS requests will be reviewed by Smith Operations daily. A confirmation message will be sent via email, as well as be available on the user’s Virtual EMS account.

Event requests will be reviewed on a weekly basis. A daily scan of new requests will be done to account for any late requests that have been completed within a 2-week timeframe of the event date. Late requests will be reviewed as needed.

Event requests are reviewed year round. However, events for future semesters cannot be confirmed until the academic calendar for that time is completed if space is being requested within the Smith school. As per the event request guidelines, for events occurring August 1–December 31, the advised deadline for an event request to be submitted is mid-April. For events occurring January 1–July 31, the advised deadline is mid-November. If a request for a Spring event was completed by the advised deadline, the user will receive a confirmation by December 15. If a request for a Fall event was completed by the advised deadline, the user will receive a confirmation by June 30.

Events are reviewed with signature event dates given priority, followed then by a first come, first serve basis based on tier level.

Section VI: Short notice scheduling requests

Understanding that needs and requests can’t always have advanced notice, this platform is also designed to assist with short notice scheduling requests. A short notice request is a need within 7 days of making the request. Short notice requests will automatically be directed to the Virtual EMS platform to book an available room. Please note that space is not guaranteed at the last minute.

Since short notice requests will be directed to VEMS, they will not be entered on the public calendar unless the user notifies the Office of Smith Programs and Events. Event assistance will not be guaranteed for short notice events.

Section VII: Requests External to the Smith School

Requests from outside the Smith School of Business shall be handled in the following manner:

Academic scheduling will coordinate all requests from the University (e.g. Scheduling Office, academic departments) for academic requirements.

Smith Operations will be responsible for outside requests for meetings and other activities.

No organizations unaffiliated with the University of Maryland will be allowed to reserve space within Van Munching Hall without the permission of the Dean or Vice Dean. No student group unaffiliated with the Smith School will be allowed to reserve space.

There will be no charge for these reservations except for the Executive Meeting Space (rooms 2333A, B, C, and/or D).

Outside organization will need to coordinate their IT/AV requirements with Smith IT for which there may be a charge.

Section VIII: Van Munching Space Guidelines

Below is a breakdown of space/room offerings within Van Munching Hall:

Dedicated Conference Rooms: 1570 (Undergraduate Studies), 2410M (CSVC), 2534 (Executive Education), 3370 (Marketing), and 4370 (DIT), as well as all space within the Office of Career Services are reserved through their respective departments. ● Case Rooms: (2333G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, and T) these rooms are scheduled by the MBA’s. Other organizations including Smith School departments may request their use from the Master’s Program Office.

Atrium: (Pownall Atrium) should generally be reserved when all rooms surrounding these spaces are empty (generally on Fridays and on weekends).

Executive Dining Room: administered through Executive Education, this room will be made available for receptions and lunches. No student group functions (Undergraduate, MBA, or PhD) will be held in this space unless overseen by a faculty or staff representative. Each group reserving this space is responsible for its set-up and cleaning and will receive the space “as is” from the previous reservation.

Outside Area (Van Munching Courtyard, Mayer Mall): may be reserved by any department or any club or organization that is officially sanctioned by the Smith School of Business. Mayer Mall reservations will require the approval of the Executive Director – Office of Special Programs and Events or the Director of Operations.

Department Controlled Spaces: the following labs, computer rooms and classrooms are controlled by individual departments or organizations. Their use may be coordinated through the appropriate organization.

3518, & 3518A - Department of Marketing

Section IX: Manipulation of the system

With the online scheduling request page, the user assumes responsibility for honestly answering the initial probing questions that to directed to the proper channel to complete the intended request. Manipulation of the system and dishonesty will not be tolerated. Last minute event support for manipulated requests will not be guaranteed. Support will be determined based on the capacity and availability of resources, with non-manipulated request being given utmost priority.

Governance:

a) This policy is governed by the Office of the Dean. Any clarifications or resolution of conflicts should be addressed to the Senior Associate Dean.

b) Exceptions to these guidelines may be made by mutual consent of the Manager of Scheduling, Executive Director of the Office of Special Programs and Events, and the Director of Operations. Exceptions involving the Executive Education Classrooms, Conference Rooms and Dining Room shall require the additional consent of the Executive Director of Executive Education or his designee.